I am suffering from my second case of acute progressive Central Nervous System Toxicity (poisoning) caused by what I now know to be either:

(a) an adverse reaction to Amoxcillin possibly combined with Metriniadazole, or(b) too high dosage of Amoxcillin on it's own or possibly combined with Metriniadazole.

I have never had this diagnosis confirmed by any doctor, cardiologist or neurologist, and have come to this conclusion from searching the internet for information.

I appreciate that patients who are too clever....who self diagnose from the internet or other resources can be a problem for the medical profession; but in this case I genuinely know I have discovered what happened to cause my illness. But no one will take me seriously.

It seems they firmly believe that a 'simple' antibiotic cannot cause these long lasting arrythmias, insomnia, parasthesias, neuropathies, altered brain chemistry, and all the other severe mental and health problems that I have experienced. Perhaps I am just someone who is a 'poor metabolizer'...i.e, my liver cannot break down the drug properly so it builds up into toxic concentrations. Perhaps my alcohol consumption in the past has something do do with this. Perhaps this antibiotic was prescribed by my dentist without taking taking into account the prior ingestion of antibiotics and its cumulative effects on me. Whatever the reason, I know my own body, and know I have been poisioned. Anti-biotics 'kill life'...that is what the two words mean. They kill organisms, and the human body is just one huge organism. I have had too much of a toxic substance and I need help to get rid of it.

My story starts in June 2000 when I was on a long course of 1500mg daily Amoxicillin after two bad dental abcesses. Approximately three weeks after finishing the course I presented at my Health Centre with numbness and tingling in the hands, forearms and backs of shoulders. I actually thought I had had some sort of stroke. I had tingling skin - a creeping feeling on the skin like the start of flu - muscle twitching, extreme muscle weakness, sudden parathesias (areas of skin suddenly falling asleep for no reason) numb hands upon waking, insomnia, cardiospasm, gastrointestinal disturbance, 'waves' of chest stomach pain, chest/sternum pain, severe panic attacks and palpitations. I would wake in the middle of the night with an odd and very frightening 'wave' in my chest. I don't know how else to describe it. Like an electrical 'hiccup'. Apparently, I know know it is extreme irritation or 'exitability' of the vagus nerve. I also would be on the point of sleep...just as you move from consiousness into sleep, and would suddenly be jolted violently awake by what felt like an electric shock in the centre of my brain. Like a cattle prod. I would hear a loud zzzzzzap or an explosion. I also had hallucinations on the point of sleep.. it was like being in the movies. I would 'see' sudden pictures in my head....an angry face, or people whispering, a dog with it's legs crossed. Tall ships in a harbour, men rushing at each other with spears. I know this sounds totally mad, but it is true. I was told these were all symptoms of anxiety and was given an anti anxiety pill - Zisprin. Over the next four months my heart symptoms got worse, and I would feel flutterings and palpitations. I repeatedly asked that my chest pain and heart symptoms be taken seriously but my heart was never listened to, nor was I given an ECG. After a few weeks I began having what I presume to be mild seizures (awareness of eyes being drawn upward in head and biting tongue but being unable to control it) and acute psychotic episodes (chemical imbalance in brain causing a series of crippling 'panic' attacks and feelings of impending doom lasting two hours each. These were no ordinary panic attacks. I would pace the room paranoid, convinced I was going to die and had a feeing of horror and impending doom like i have never experienced before or since. ) I was told my tingling limbs and hands were due to simple anxiety.

Finally in August 2000 after a month of severe palpitations and chest pain I had a terrible episode of arrythmia in the middle of the night - my heart rate was over 200 bpm. I was admitted to the Coronary Care Unit where I was told I had had a recent heart attack. I was also told that I had an abnormal ECG, and there had been a major and unexplained electrical disturbance in my heart causing this long term cardiac arrythmia and prolongation of the QT wave. I was told I may need a pacemaker and given Propranolol. After one week of treatment I was sent home. I was also diagnosed with a bruit, and a heart murmer and told to take an anitibiotic prophylactic before any any invasive or deep dental procedure in the future. I had various tests including echocardiogram and regular holter monitor testing at home. In October 2000 my symptoms subsided and I gradually stopped taking the propranolol. Life got back to normal.

I never ever made the connection between the Amoxicillin and my problems.

Starting in June 2009 I had at least three very long courses of 500mg Amoxicillin for dental abcess, followed by another long course of Metrinidazole (Flagyl) after three dental implants, and three seperate occasions of 3mg Amoxil as prophylactic before hygienist visit for deep cleaning. Approximately two weeks after cessation of these antibiotics in August I began having the exact symptoms as in 2000 starting with numbness and tingling. I then made the definite connection between my symptoms and both long courses of strong antibiotic nine years apart.

I researched the internet, and discovered that strong courses of antibiotics (quinolones) can cause exactly the progressive symptoms I had had in 2000, and am having now. Although I had never ingested a quinolone, I had been on an extremely strong course of Amoxicillin coupled with Flagyl, which amounts to the same thing. Toxic poison. These concerns have not been taken seriously by my GP.

I now know some classes of antibiotics affect bacterial cell physiology. Their mechanism of action at the cellular level is to selectively bind certain ions creating intra- and extracellular biochemical disturbances. The ions bound vary with different members of this class of drug, with salinomycin preferentially binding potassium. This interferes with potassium transport across mitchondrial membranes, resulting in low intracellular energy production. The Na+/Ca2+ exchange mechanism may also be disrupted allowing a fatal accumulation of intracellular calcium.1 This mechanism particularly affects skeletal muscle and cardiac muscle. This can affect the function of acetylcholine , a neurostransmitter which has actions on CNS (nerve) and heart tissue.

Acetylcholine has functions both in the peripheral nervous system (PNS) and in the central nervous system (CNS) as a neuromodulator.

In the PNS, acetylcholine activates muscles, and is a major neurotransmitter in the autonomic nervous system.

In the CNS, acetylcholine and the associated neurons form a neurotransmitter system, the cholinergic system, which tends to cause excitatory actions.

Well, unless you do not have cell wall, amoxicillin should not affect you. With the second antibiotics, I guess you meanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metronidazoleas nothing like you wrote has been found by Google which is used to treat anaerobes

It is interesting that you focused on the amoxicillin, and not on why you have had so many dental surgeries. I would wonder why I have so many problems with my teeth and mouth. Usually teeth/mouth problems can be a symptom to something more elusive in the body. Something possibly made even more problematic when antibiotics are used.

I dont realy care what the post above say i know that i have had the same symptoms as lesley !!! from takeing sulfa for a uti i have had these symptoms for 2 months and slowly have gotten better !!!!! i was told by my dr it was brain toxcemia. Does anyone have any info on brain toxcemia???

Well the drs have tested everything you can test pretty much !!! i have been fuzzy headed slow thinking!!! and very weak and tired!!! feelings of doom nite sweats chest has been feeling tight !!!just dont feel myself .. these symptoms are the ones that im still having i have alot of symptoms of thyroid i was tested and it was ok!!!i need ansers but am not gettting any????????

I am not a doctor but you present exactly like having late stage Lyme Disease with possible co-infections. By taking antibiotics for short periods of time for unrelated reasons, you may be undertreating a lyme infection which just makes it worse. With that many symptoms in so many different areas of the body, I would think that any doctor with a clue would test for tick borne illness as it presents as an imitator of many other illnesses all at the same time. You may want to get tested for tick borne illness by a good lab as it is a very serious condition that you don't want to just let get worse as the human immune system doesn't seem to be able to fight it off very well. If you have a TBI and take occasional rounds of antibiotics, I can see how it would seem that the antibiotics are the cause of your misery, but that may not be the case. Unfortunately most doctors don't know anything about zoonotic illness so they tend to be hopeless with patients having zoonotic vector-borne diseases that can imitate many other more pedestrian illnesses. Good luck!

kolean wrote:It is interesting that you focused on the amoxicillin, and not on why you have had so many dental surgeries. I would wonder why I have so many problems with my teeth and mouth. Usually teeth/mouth problems can be a symptom to something more elusive in the body. Something possibly made even more problematic when antibiotics are used.

I agree. While it has been proven that oral health problems can lead to something more, this can work the other way as well: many diseases have symptoms that manifest as oral health problems.

I'm not a doctor either, but it sounds like you have: *duh duh duh dummmm...* anxiety. Seriously, the way you have stated it = anxiety. The biting tongue problem? I have it all the time. Zap is tinnitus i.e. ringing in the ears. Heart defects are as such, heart defects. Nothing to do with amoxicillin. Amoxicillin is very commonly used, and considerably safe. Stop stressing, 'cos there is absolutely no way amo can be responsible for you condition. You should take anxiety as a proper disease and get it treated. Relax. Stop worrying. And trust me, everything would be better once you continue and forget about it. And there is a reason why the GP doesn't take you seriously. If you really want to "prove", test yourself, and have yourself monitored for several weeks after taking Amo, and then see.

I just stumbled upon your post. I haven't been on this site in quite awhile so I'm sorry that I was not able to get to you sooner. I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT YOU HAVE AN AXIETY DISORDER AND I BELIEVE THAT YOU ARE HAVING SEVERE MEDICAL PROBLEMS .

I believe there is a very good chance that you are experiencing the after effects of a severe allergic reaction to the antibiotics you were prescribed. I am not a doctor, but I have consulted with a close friend of mine who is a pharmacy tech and he is quite worried about your symptoms as well. He advised me to tell you that if you still have any antibiotics left over that you did not finish to have someone else dispose of them for you immediately. Any tablets that may have been broken or crushed will generate a dust. Simply inhaling or experiencing contact with your eyes, skin, or clothing could trigger a reaction if you are very allergic.

Individuals who are sensitive to beta lactam antibiotics, both penicillins and cephalosporins can experience anaphylaxis, heart failure, kidney failure, liver failure, and adrenal failure, all of which can be potentially life threatening. Ever year around 300 people die from these reactions.

You did not specify whether or not you may have consumed any alcohol while taking these antibiotics, but Metronidazole in particular when combined with alcohol can cause tachycardia and shortness of breath--similar to the heart attack/panic attack feelings you may have experienced. Metronidazole also has a nasty reaction to SSRI/SNRI drugs such as Prozac, Lexapro, Celexa, Zoloft, Effexor, Cymbalta, etc.

High doses of Metronidazole also can cause peripheral neuropathy which could be the cause of the weakness and sensory changes you described such as the muscle weakness, tingling/spasms, loss of sensation in your extremities, and the intense nerve pain that you describe as feeling like you were jolted awake by an "electrical shock". It can also cause paraesthesia, which can also cause limbs to fall asleep or for you to experience a "pins and needles" feeling on your skin.

The best initial fix is to stop taking any of these medications, never take them ever again, and remove all remnants of them from your home and sanitize your household. For yourself, the best recommendation I can give is total body detoxification. There are many different ways to detox the body, but in a case as severe as yours I would suggest consulting with a doctor and possibly getting a hair sample test to determine if intravenous chelation may be appropriate.

I don't know if any of this helps, but my best friend's brother was in immense pain and felt like he was dying for two years before he was diagnosed with having a heart murmur. He had been to countless hospitals in various states and had seen over 20 different doctors who all told him that nothing was wrong with him. Finally, he luckily found a cardiologist who knew exactly what was wrong with him, immediately scheduled him for surgery, and installed a pacemaker. Before that most of the doctors told him that he had an anxiety disorder, that it was "all in his head" and one doctor flat out told him that he was crazy.

Only you know your own body and you know if something is wrong with it. If one doctor doesn't have the answer, don't give up. Someone eventually will.